You can buy dumpling wrappers ready-made, but Michael Chen's recipe will make you wonder why anyone bothers. Simply combine flour and water into a smooth dough and roll it under your palms into a rope. To make each wrapper, pinch off a lump of dough and roll it into a circle. It's so easy, and the cooked wrapper tastes fresher and more tender than a commercial wrapper, which can sometimes be a little tough. For the best results, pull off about half an inch of dough for each wrapper and roll it into a 4-inch circle.

Be sure not to add too much chicken broth to the filling. It should be moist but still quite firm. If it's too damp, the dumpling won't close up tight, and when you drop it in the boiling water, the seal won't hold.

The garlic-chili oil for drizzling over the finished plates calls for both regular red-pepper flakes, which provide heat, and Korean red-pepper flakes, which are much milder and provide a more rounded, fruity flavor. If you can't find the Korean pepper at an Asian market, it's fine to leave it out, but don't double the regular pepper flakes to make up the difference. It will be far too hot for comfort.